Towel-holder.



C. P. BROWN.

TOWEL HOLDER. 7

APPLICATION FILED AUG.13, 191s.

1,11 5,895, Patefied Nov. 3, 1914.

WITNESSES: A IN WIN TOR! 72 TTURNEK orrrrnn STATES PATENT orrircne crrsnnes r. BROWN, or YORTLAND, OREGON, esszcnon T BROWN-MEYER. corridors,

' or PORTLAND, onnsolr, A conromrron or osncorr.

-'.EOWEL-HOLDEB Specification of Letters Patent. Pat ntjedNbw. 3,1914, Application med-Admin 1a, 191:1 Seria 1N0. 784 544;

i I "ofexample only,' end is intended to repre Be it known that Lfim nnss F. BROWN, :1 sent any suitable instrn'mentality. for the c t zen of the United States of America, rejr'unctisnrequired of it, whether it a sidingat Portland, in thecounty of; simple shelf oropsrtof a osbinetor other i To all whom'it only concern} i ll lultnomnh in the State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Towel-Holders, of which the fo1- low ing is s specification, reference being had to the accompanying drewingf My invention relates to towel ho-tlers,ond has for its object the production ofja-devicefor holding and preserving in orderen "assemblage cl clean towels thhtfare'ce rried in such a manner as to keep them clean, folded end smooth as they come- -fromi the laundry until such time as they are required, one by one, foruse. A further object of the invention is to provide means for conveniently withdrawing the towels one by one from the ile, forgfeeilitating the manipulation of it w ile in use; end for securingit e ainst' accidental mi placeme'ntcr' intentions andiuljhuthorizedremovol after use.

What constitutes my invention will be.

set forth in theeppended claims.

hereinafter specified in detoilund' succinctly In the accompanying 'drswihg f- Figured isn front elevation ofmy invention comf plete in itspresent referred formoffem bodimentfi I ig.v 1113 on end elevation of the some, loolzmg toward that' e'nd of the, deviceuponfwhiclrthe clean towels are as se'mbled, and showing one of thetowels'removed from the pile-of clean towelsas in use. Fig. 111 is a view similar to Fig. II showin the towelas illustrated in use in Fig. If dropped tojthatposition in which I it is discarded after use; wherein the used towels accumulate andnre secured, until the supply of clean towels is exhausted or until so many of them have been used as ma be required 111 serv1ce before reolenlshment otthe'clean supply; Fig. IV he vertical sectional 'viewillustrating the' clesrltowel assembling member in "place on an enlarged scale.

Referring to thenumerels on the drawing, 1 indicates a horizontal-sufportin'g ,which,fl'

member or, as illustrated, eshel being of any suitableshep'e and dlIhIlSlOIlS and made of any preferred materiel 'is, adapted to be held in any desired positlon,

as against any vertical wall, u on brackets 2. Theslielf'illnstreted'is presented byway device. The fnnctioirof the shelf 1 is to carry a pileofclcen, preferably 'lolded,

? towels which maybe of any proharred"size; 'end'whose size w ll. ofcoui'se, determine 'curing'the member e in lane: Suchicense .n'myconsist;es shown, 0 a padlock 7 @sh'ackle 8 'passes; through an'sperture 9 pro- ?vided fo'rits free, passage through the re fduced endG below the shell 1., f

l. yFor"insuring a stable support for the es- ;sembling member l rotetahly nponithe shelf 51, I prefer to provide esuiteble soeket hpoo 3 jth's'helfi This socket may consist of en aperture or bore 10 formedin thefmizlte' to snugly fitiibout the assembling member, wh'cse shape, as well fie-that of the conform-'- socket, isprefernbly cylindrical. To lctlddurability to the-hearing parts offthe jsocket, the bore-l0 may be'reinforced by El top plate 11 and bottom plate-12, selcu'r'ed respectively as by screws 13'to opposite sides of the shelf 1. The top plate'is penetrated by in aperture '14 made snugly fit the end of the assembling member 4; while thebottom plete is providedwith an aperture 15, led coo-molly @with the aperture 14 or member, but of smaller diameter to reducedend 6 of tlie'essembling mom-oerv By 'thlS coir-j struction the assembling member is rota-te bly secured in the soc ret provided for it, and is supported therein by an engagement between the shouldero with the c1rcum scribing wall of the aperture 15 in the bottom plte. The aperture 9 in the reduced end of the assembling member is ,locatedjm such close juxtaposition to the lower-side '01" the bottom plate as to render the sh aclrle of the padlock-Y when in place a connnmg member that will serve'to secure the assem- 1 to accommodate means fordetechebly se rmlm? which the shelf 1 is-comPOsed'soeS (sec :ipou the member l blingu'iember rotatably in the upri ht position upon the shelf 1.

The member at extends prcferahly in a direct line above its supporting socket for a distance piiumrtionate to the number and character of the towels that are, in service. assembled upon it, and it preferably ter- 1uinates at its free end in a curred neck 15.

terminating in a, depending end '17. reason of the- .lunction of the assembling member, as will be hereinafter made more fully to appear, it is desirable that the neck of the assembling: member should ter niinate at a distance above the shelf 1 stantially equal to or a little greater than the thickness of the maximum towel-supply upon the shelf 1 about the member in connection xith the assembling mun her and its shell I provide means for con-- lining the towelsv during use and after use by a towel retaining incinher whose time 'tion being; that of securing them against loss or unauthorized abstraction I prefer not only to flexibly unite, as indicated at 18, to the depending end 17 of the neck 16 oi" the assembling member, but also to constitute it of flexible umterial or substantially in the form of a chain, as illustrated. The flexible member or chain 19 is preferably permanently united to the depending cud l? of the neck, while its free end is moralily secured to the other end of the niemher, preferably by the aid of an eyelet 21 through which the shackle 8 of the padlock is passed when the padlock is secured in place upon the lower end of the member 4: as in the manner previously specified.

Each of the towels .ahore referred to being, as has been specified, of any preferred material and dimensions, is provided, pref oralily near one crunc with a gromet 22,

' Fig. ll) which adapts it to slide freely hut with amply secure attachment thereto.

ln practice, each shelf, NllOlSVQl installed, is provided with its assembling member and means 1 01' securing it in place. and is designed to atlord an ample supply of towels under approved sanitary conditions. Such conditions require that an uninterrupted supply of clean towels shall be provided to meet the demands service of each install ation. In making provision to that end, the means tor supplying each device with fresh supplies of towels must take into considerati on numerous conditions. For exzi niple, asinuch as supply attendant, in order to cover economically a territory to him, must carry as little weight possible, I provide by my invention for dispensing, in this connection, with all Weight except that of the towels themselves. But. it is also, new essery to economize'tiine in making the distrihution of clean towels and the collection serve to confine the olefin towels upon the shelf against accidental displacement the 'tQl'Il'lli'lfiblOZl of depending end at a distance above the shell equal to or greater than the thickness of the maximum pile of towels thereon renders it practicable and convenient to insert the assembling member through the groniet of the towels and secure it in place with t: .t niininiuni degree of attention which the 'nanipulation of s ple straight rod would entail.

The rigidity of the assembling member which is preferably made a feati'lre thereof, serves to secure th clean towels in place upon the shelf, while the flexibility oi the retaining inemher, constituting as it does in fact a continuous extension of the assembling meniner, provides for the widest latitude of manipulation of the individual towels in use. It may be further observed that to facilitate and expedite towel ser'vice supply in connection with my towel holder, it is contemplated, in practice, that the towels will be assembled and tied in hundles at the laundry or source of supply, with all the groinets of each bundle in register.

In. consequence, opportunity for cruinpling or soiling" oi" the towels intransit is minis raised, and all that remains for theattendant to do, in supplying n bundle to the holder after removal of the soiled towels, is to lay the hundle on the sleek! l, hen set and secure the nsseinhling inemher lin place upon the shell, rift-er first inserting it through the elined groinets of the bundle. Toward this end, i prefer to finish the end 0 of the member with a. threading point,

rounded or conical, shown clearly in.

Fig. 1V.

l claim: 1. towel holder or the like, the comhinzition W h 21 supporting member, of" an RSSEISliDll member adapted to secure towels in assen'xbla upon the supporting" member,

' retaining member coiiperatire for the purpose specified, and securing both ends of said remember to the assembling member. a. towel holder or the like, the (our ation with a supporting ineniiber, of an assembling nher ted to secure towels L1 ass mblage upon the supporting member,

" member to a flexible retaining member cooperative therewith for the purpose specified, and means for detachably securing both ends of said retaining member together.

' 3. In a towel holder or the like, the combination with a supporting member provided with a bore, of an assembling member "rotatably fixed in said bore, a retaining member flexibly secured at one end to the assembling member, and means for detachably securin the free end of the retaining member.

:lr- In a towel holder or the like, the come socket end of -the assembling bination with a sup orting member pro vided with, a bore, 0 an assembling member rotatably fixed imsaid bore, a retaining member flexibly secured at one end to the assembling member, and means for detachabl'y securin the free end of the retaining member to tfie socket end of the assembling member snidimeans being adapted also to the assembling member in its socket.

secnre CHARLES F. BROWN.

b 'Witnesses :v

K. D. FENN, JOSEPH L. A'rxms. 

